Eid al-Fitr dinner celebrates new Partnership

Students, College of International Programs and Services staff, and family members gathered for a dinner hosted at Gallaudet on September 26 in honor of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. They ate Middle Eastern fare prepared by the United Arab Emirates Embassy chef. Pictured are (clockwise from bottom left): Shebab Al-Obaidli, Abdul Al-Nualmi, Adel Al-Hosani, Nasser Al- Hammadi, Aliyu Yaro, Cody Simmons, Salem Al-Ameri, Jad Gore, Khaled Alneyadi, Majdoul Al-Rashedi, and Manea Al-Kaabi.

The atrium of the James Lee Sorenson Language and Communication Center was buzzing with excitement, and the smell of delicious Middle-Eastern cuisine was in the air, on September 26 as members of the Gallaudet community, visiting scholars, a representative from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and others gathered to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the closing celebration of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, and to welcome new students from the UAE to Gallaudet.

Dr. Asiah Mason, director of the Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS), and Abdulbari Alshehari, academic advisor from the UAE’s cultural consulate, hosted the special event, which not only marked Eid al-Fitr but the beginning of a relationship between Gallaudet and the UAE.

The UAE government strongly believes that Gallaudet is the best place for their deaf and hard of hearing students to receive higher education and has agreed to provide 100 percent scholarships for all of these students who are qualified to study at the University. All UAE students begin their studies at Gallaudet’s English Language Institute before transferring to the University’s undergraduate program.

The UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. has also offered to serve as Gallaudet’s liaison for the embassies of other countries in the Persian Gulf region.

CIPS and the UAE embassy plan to host this dinner annually, with the embassy chef cooking and delivering the food, and CIPS staff serving it to the guests. The event is part of a larger Long Range Strategic Plan goal of forging new international relationships and strengthening existing ones. To this end, CIPS will host one embassy activity per month on campus in the future.

(Note: Dr. Asiah Mason contributed to this article.)